FORT HOOD, Texas, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Conditions at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison were horrendous for both inmates and the soldiers who guarded them, a U.S. soldier has testified.
"The best way to describe it in a word is deplorable," said Maj. David DiNenna, who testified for a soldier who has pleaded guilty to abusing detainees there in 2003.
Sgt. Javal Davis, 27, of Roselle, N.J., has admitted stomping on detainees' fingers and toes and lying about his actions, the Houston Chronicle reported Thursday.
He faces at least 18 months in prison and ouster from the Army Reserve, but his defense contends the prison's conditions should mitigate his punishment.
Abu Ghraib's 7,000 prisoners and guards endured a constant, overwhelming odor of rodents, wild dogs, human feces and trash, DiNenna said Wednesday.
Cellblocks were overcrowded with violent detainees prone to rioting and escape attempts, and they were able to dig up items for homemade weapons because part of the prison was built on a former trash dump. Mortar, small-arms and rocket attacks on the prison were frequent, DiNenna said.
Soldiers working there received almost no training or orientation, he added.
